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Let us say first and foremost that when we talk about
“church membership,” we are talking about really
joining a church: officially pledging
to worship with a congregation, to serve alongside brothers and sisters in a
local setting, and to be accountable to the brethren. Now, some folks may say that there is nothing
“official” about church membership in the New Testament. Yet, I would respond by saying that the
concept of membership was assumed in
the early church. Everyone belonged to a
local assembly during the age of the apostles.

For example, when we were baptized, we were united with
Christ (Gal 3:27, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on
Christ”), but we were also immersed into the universal church (1 Cor 12:13, “For
by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body . . . and have all been made
to drink into one Spirit”). When we
became Christians, we became church members.
Now, how is that reality played out in our lives? It is fully realized when we join in the life
of a local congregation: worship, service, support, evangelism, etc.

For the next several weeks in these articles we will
continue to discuss the importance of church membership, both in obedience to
the Lord and for the good of each and every believer. This series will be helpful for all of us,
whether we are already members or not.
To take that initial step to join, we should know what we are getting
ourselves into. We should know the reason
for membership and the importance of it.
Likewise, if we are already members, it is appropriate to get a clearer
picture of what the Lord expects of us and how we can be a better member of the
body of Christ.

Mark Dever, a Baptist pastor and author, has said in his
book, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church,
“The responsibilities and duties of members of a Christian church are simply
the responsibilities and duties of Christians.
Church members, like Christians, are to be baptized and to regularly
attend the Lord’s Table. We are to hear
God’s Word and to obey it. We are to
regularly fellowship together for mutual edification. We are to love God, one another, and those
outside our fellowship, and we are to evidence the fruit of the Spirit”
(159). Dever is correct, here, to assert
that the Christian life is a going-to-church life.

Christian people are those who gather with like-minded
believers to learn from the Lord, worship the Lord, and encourage one another
toward faith in the Lord. This is what
it means to be a Christian. We cannot be
like a man on the moon or a wanderer on an island.

I know. I
know. The American culture has told us from
the time that we were tots that we should be independent, self-sufficient, and
go-get-our-own. As the young folks say
today, “I’m gonna do me.” Yet, this is
in no way a biblical principle. Sure, we
should be hard workers and support ourselves and our families as we earn a
living, and we shouldn’t depend on others for everything. However, Christians are to lean on the Lord
and rely on one another. As the
Scripture says, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but
in lowliness of mind let each esteems others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own
interests, but also for the interests of others” (Phil 2:3-4).

To do these things, we must be together. We must see one another. The most important and, at the same time,
most basic requirement for church membership is attending gatherings on the
Lord’s Day. Why is the Church in America
struggling? There may be several
reasons, but I would argue that one major problem is that we do not even meet
together on a regular basis anymore.
When we get together, we get to know one another, we can make lifelong
friends, we can support others, and, in turn, we can be supported by others.

There is a saying that has been around for some time now
that goes something like this: Going to church does not make one a Christian
any more than standing in a garage makes one a car. Of course, this is most often used by those
who do not want to attend church gatherings.
Let me say, the most ideal situation for the safety and well-being of a
car is to park it in the garage. Not all
of us have garages, but we would if we could!

Can someone be a Christian and not belong to a
congregation? Probably, but the New
Testament does not know of any such Christian.
Can someone be a Christian and not attend church services? Sure, but that is not the ideal
situation. Some folks miss Sunday
gatherings because they are too sick to attend, or they are looking after a
loved one who is not able to come. We
don’t need to discuss the exceptions.
Let’s talk about the rule. The
New Testament makes plain, as we have seen in our several articles from Heb
10:24-25, that Christians are those who belong to the body of Christ. All of the believers of the first century,
apostolic age where members of local congregations. They were a blessing to other saints and were
also blessed by them. This is the normal
Christian life.

There are those who do not join a church or do not remain
active because they are simply stubborn.
Hebrews (and many other places in the Bible) warns us to not be like the
Exodus generation who were a rebellious and stiff-necked people. They did not inherit the promises of
God. Do not be like them! There are also folks who are afraid to make a
commitment. While the Bible is clear
that we should count the costs of following Christ, it is equally as forthright
that the decision should be made fairly quickly. We cannot sit on the fence forever about God
and the things of Christ. Either we are
in, or we are out.

The Christian life is the blessed life, and it is also
difficult. Yet, the question is, Are
these things true? If what you have
heard about Christ is true, then you must not wait anymore. Christ demands that we make a decision. We should commit to Him, but we have to
freedom to reject Him. Either way, we
cannot remain neutral. To do so is to
reject Him.

Have you ever heard someone say that they will not join a
church because it is full of hypocrites?
If someone has not said this directly to you, at the very least, you
have heard of the claim through the grapevine.
Many think that Christians are fake and shallow. Is this true?
Here is my response: Sure, there are many Christians in name only. Just because people claim to be Christians
does not mean that they have truly been born again. Furthermore, and maybe more importantly, true
Christians do not claim to be perfect.
On the contrary, we confess that we are sinners in need of
forgiveness. We mess up; we neglect
things that we should do; we say things wrong; we are not what we want to be,
much less what God wants us to be. This
is the core of the Christian Faith. The
Gospel teaches that all people are wrongdoers, but God has sent Christ to pay
the penalty for our failures. We admit,
our lives do not always match our confession, but we are working on it.

Another reason that some folks will not join a church is
because they have been treated harshly by some church in the past, or maybe by
an individual who represented a church.
This is always unfortunate. There
are so many people who are power hungry and/or self-righteous. Jesus taught against this kind of
behavior. Leaders are not to “lord it
over” congregations, and no Christian should demean others for any reason. We should also acknowledge that churches are
not all the same. At RHCC, we are
serious about the Scriptures, but we are also laid back. We are not perfect, but one of our goals is
to create an atmosphere of grace. This
means that we want to work with one another, grow together, and forgive one
another. We have to be willing to humble
ourselves and ask for forgiveness from one another as well as extend
forgiveness to others. Reconciliation
and unity must be primary concerns for us as a church.

Maybe you are a regular attendee but something is holding
you back or maybe you are a member who is not as involved as you should be: Do
not be afraid to join the church. Is
church-life always easy and perfect? No,
but it can be great together!

Before we leave the Hebrews 10
passage (this is the last one, I promise), I would like to point out one more
positive note. In the context, the
exhortation to not forsake the assembly is sandwiched between a call to draw
near to God relationally with great confidence (vv. 19-23) and a fearful
warning against the willful sin of apostasy (vv. 26-31). My friend, Dave, is the one who has called
attention to this bracketing and how it suggests that routine Christian assembling serves to (1) shore up salvific confidence
and assurance (vv. 19-23) on one hand, while also (2) helping to inoculate from apostasy (vv.
26-31) on the other.

In this article, I would like to
focus on the connection with the surrounding verses. How interesting it is to see the link between
drawing near to God and drawing near to one another. God has made us relational creatures. We thrive when we are together. Some of us are built in a way that we do well
on our own, and some have a hard time with interaction, but I think we all know,
deep down, that we need our church community.

Our Christian friends are the ones
who can encourage us when we are down, confront us when we are backsliding,
comfort us when we are hurting, teach us when we are lacking, and provide us
the boost of confidence we need in our salvation. It is difficult to imagine a person losing
his or her salvation when thoroughly involved in the life of the church. How rare it must be for people to lose their
faith when they are gathering each week with the church, praying together,
worshipping together, participating in the Lord’s Supper, listening to messages
from the Scriptures, and fellowshipping with brothers and sisters. Surely, it must be nearly impossible!

The key for the Christian life is
being involved in the life of the church on a consistent basis. Now, remember what we said last week: This is
not a call to “live at the church building.”
Yet, it is a call to be thoroughly
involved. How involved are you? Are you fully engaged? Are you participating in the life of the
church on a regular, even weekly basis?

We all know that someone’s behavior is a good indication
of the person’s thinking and where his or her heart is. What someone does or neglects to do says a
lot about the person. When a Christian
does not participate in the life of the church, what does it say about that
person? What does it mean for his or her
state of mind? Is there any connection
between church attendance and salvation?

When reflecting upon the connection of verses 24-25 with
verses 26-28 in Hebrews 10, one author has said bluntly, “Failure to [meet] is
associated with apostasy” (Ellingworth, 528).
What is apostasy? It is when a
Christian turns away from the Lord, when a believer no longer believes.

Now, we do not believe that one is saved by good works,
including church attendance. We do not
believe that one remains a Christian by righteous behavior. We believe that we can never do enough to
save ourselves or keep us in God’s favor.
Yet, being saved by God’s grace in Christ does not mean that we cannot
cooperate with God and obey His Word.

The Lord has instructed us in the way we should
live. Although our bodies may
deteriorate due to aging, illness, and the like, we may be continually renewed
in our spirits. We can grow in the grace
and knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
We can be encouraged, helped, supported, and more so that we do not give
up in the life of faith. We need each
other in order to persevere until the end.
If we try to go at it alone, we may possibly shrink into unbelief.

While attending church gatherings may not save you in the
direct sense, it may be a big help in your salvation in an indirect way. The simple act of going to church will not
make you righteous before God, but the church itself, the people, can spur you
on to a life of faith and not let you give up trusting Christ. As my friend Dave would say, routine
Christian assembling has a way of shoring up our confidence in salvation as
well as helping to inoculate us from apostasy.
Do you want to guard yourself from unbelief? A great way is by attending and involving
yourself in the life of the church!

As I was reading a few weeks ago for this series of
articles concerning church attendance, I came across a lengthy quote which says
clearly what I would like to say about this subject because I want us to be clear
on what the passage in Hebrews 10:24-25 is teaching. George Guthrie has written, “Another caution
is in order with regard to the author’s challenge to ‘not give up meeting
together.’ This exhortation has been
used at times to exhort church members to attend every meeting offered by the
church during the week: Sunday School, Sunday morning worship, evening worship,
visitation on Monday night, prayer meeting Wednesday night, Bible study Friday
noon; all are held up as part of the standard for ‘let us not give up meeting
together.’” I hope you know that I have
not intended to guilt you into “living at the church building.” The point is not to be here every time the
doors are open necessarily. I simply
want you to see the value of church membership.
I want you to make a commitment to regular church attendance.

Guthrie continues his comments, “The principle behind
this part of the author’s challenge, however, has to do with consistent
involvement in the life of the church rather than frenetic activity in all the
programs of the church. We as Christian
leaders must not burden people with a guilt trip if they are not at the church
five nights a week. The question is
whether they are meaningfully engaged in the life of the body on a weekly
basis. Are they involved in
worship? Are they being educated through
preaching and teaching of God’s Word?
Are they ministering, exercising their spiritual gifts? Are they experiencing Christian
fellowship? We should teach these
aspects of healthy Christian living and allow the Holy Spirit to show them how
these are to be lived out consistently.”
This is the standard. This is
what pleases God. This is what makes for
a strong, faithful church. This is what
makes for a healthy Christian individual and family. Let us examine ourselves in this aspect of
our Christian lives and recommit to regular, weekly church attendance.

Some scholars demonstrate a connection in Heb 10:24-25
between the gathering of God’s people now (the church) and the gathering on the
Last Day when Christ returns. The point
may be made based on that connection that, “Those who habitually abandon this
assembly when it is gathered for worship risk exclusion from the community of
the faithful, and thus forfeiture of the ultimate salvation that Christ
provides for his own” (Cockerill, 480).
In simple words, if you are not willing to stand with the church now, will
you stand with the church on the Last Day?
If you will not completely identify with the people of God now, will you
be identified with the saved in the end?

You see, a church sways toward spiritual defeat under the
various pressures of the culture when its members withdraw from one another. Especially in a time of testing, as we are
just now beginning to experience in our own country, we must deepen and
strengthen our Christian fellowship and bond.
This same risk of spiritual defeat, of course, also applies to
individual Christians. If we are going
to stand strong in the faith as individuals, as families, and as churches, then
we are going to need to be equipped, trained, encouraged, and armed for
spiritual warfare. It is the church
community that will provide these necessities for the Christian life. We need one another. We need to teach one another, hold one
another accountable, encourage one another, love one another, support one
another, and so much more. We need to be
together.

The goal is to make it to the finish line. The prize is to receive the fullness of all
the promises that we have in Christ, to receive our eternal inheritance. We must “see” with the “eyes of faith” the
quickly-approaching return of Christ.
This age and your life here will not last forever. Let us hold fast our hope with unswerving
loyalty to Jesus Christ as we see His day drawing near. Considering one another, provoking one
another to loving works, not abandoning the church, and exhorting one another
will all go a long way toward getting us to the finish line. Christ is coming, and we want to be ready.

In Heb 10:25 we are given two ways
of provoking one another to works of love: (1) Not forsaking the meetings where
Christians gather for worship and fellowship; and (2) Exhorting one
another. Both of these, “not forsaking”
and “exhorting,” are called “instrumental participles.” You can see in English that these are
participles by the use of “-ing” at the end of the words. An instrumental participle is one that shows
“how” something takes place. It
indicates “by means of.” So, the Hebrews
writer is telling believers to consider one another in order to stir-up loving
deeds, and you may ask: Well, how do I do that?
The Scripture says, “By means of not forsaking the assembly and by
exhorting one another.” We have already
discussed the first, so let us now discuss the second part, “Exhorting one
another.”

Instead of abandoning the church, we
are to exhort one another. Exhortation means
“urgent insistence” and may include the full range of meanings: rebuke, warn,
encourage, comfort. The author has
already told his readers in 3:13, “Exhort one another daily, while it is called
‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” We must encourage each other in the life of
faith with reminders of the sufficiency of Christ and of all His privileges. We have to continually tell one another to not
give up, to finish the race.

Healthy Christian living involves mutual
encouragement, that is, encouraging other believers through your presence, your
actions, and your words as well as receiving encouragement from other believers
for yourself. This takes place when we
remain faithful in our association with the body of Christ. We have to be together to accomplish this
circle of encouragement.

This world beats us up. Many of us have stressful jobs. Health concerns in our families are difficult
to manage. Raising kids in this corrupt
culture sometimes feels overwhelming.
The terrible way Christians are being treated in our country is something
that many believed would never come. In
simple words, life is not easy. We have
to take one day at a time. We must lean
on the everlasting arms of God. But, we
can also lean on one another. This is
the way that the Lord has ordained for us to live—in community. We must cheer for one another. We must support one another in Christian
love.

In our last article, we saw in Heb 10:25 that the most
basic way that we can develop love in the Christian community is by “not
forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,” that is, we have to be
together in order to love and encourage one another. We cannot neglect Sunday gatherings. Church attendance has to be one of the
highest priorities in the Christian’s life.

The preacher even puts some on the spot with, “as is the
manner of some.” He is saying, You! Yea, you!
Those of you who have sporadic attendance, you are not only hurting your
own spiritual life, but you are actually sabotaging the health of the whole
church.

It had become commonplace for some of those believers to
seldom attend church times, and we are experiencing the same predicament in
many American congregations. While we
may think that things have changed, that our culture is too fast-paced, and that
these demands are too strenuous for modern believers, we should be aware that
this is nothing new. In the early days
of the church, Christians were expected to gather together regularly, and when
many abandoned the assembly, they were called out. Christians are to be holy, that is,
different. It is not too much to ask
that believers gather consistently. We
go to work and school every day. We have
our own hobbies that we do not desert.
We take our kids to their extracurricular activities each week without
fail. Why would we not give, at the very
least, the same kind of commitment to the Lord and our brothers and sisters in
Christ?

The Hebrews audience may have been discouraged from
attending church gatherings due to persecution, the delay of the second coming,
divided loyalties to church and synagogue, a sense of superiority,
short-sightedness, laziness, simple dulling over time, or by outright
indifference. Whatever the reason, the
preacher makes clear that their neglect is not good. There are many excuses today for lack of
church attendance. Some are more
legitimate than others. For example, one
author has said, “[S]ome people have not found within our churches the warmth,
care and concern for which they hoped [so] they have turned away” (Brown,
187). That may be a legitimate excuse
but should be carefully considered. Have
we prayed for unity? Have we, ourselves,
worked toward the type of community that we would like to experience in our
church? In my humble opinion, very few
excuses actually hold up under honest scrutiny.
Let’s not allow lack of attendance to be our habit.

As we continue our discussion of Heb 10:24-25, we should
remember how the exhortation began: “Let us consider one another in order to
stir up love and good works.” One of the primary ways we do this is by,
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.” The “assembling of
ourselves together” can mean more sharply, “our own assembly” (Cockerill,
480). The word “assembly” is the word for a gathered group of
people. It is the local church that the preacher has in mind. We are
not to abandon the local church. It is not “church attendance” in general
that we are not to forsake but the actual people.

There is Old Testament background to the idea of
abandonment. In the Greek version of the OT, the word “forsake” is a
covenantal term which is used 170 times and often refers to Israel abandoning
the Lord and His ways (Deut 28:20; 31:16; 32:15, 18; Judg 2:12, 13, 20; 10:10,
13; 1 Sam 8:8; 12:10; also see 2 Tim 4:10, 16). To “forsake” the assembly
is to neglect the Lord’s expectations for us, but it is also to “abandon” other
believers and deprive them of needed support. One scholar has put it this
way, “The first negative concern is prerequisite . . . those who absent
themselves from God’s people can do nothing to ‘provoke one another to love and
good works’” (Cockerill, 479). If we are to love one another and
encourage others to be loving, then we must be together. Again, let it be
said, we can never truly minister to one another if we keep each other at a
distance. This abandonment has tragic results because encouragement
cannot take place in isolation. You see, you do not go to church just
for yourself. You go to church for others. You go to church to share with and
support other Christians.

Our own local church cannot be all that God wants it to be unless
we individually and as households decide to make a commitment to gather
together on a regular basis for worship and fellowship. “[T]he author [of
Hebrews] sees their discontinuance of common fellowship and worship as fatal for
perseverance in the faith” (Guthrie, 345). The local church is at the
very least damaged by lack of attendance and may even be destroyed without a
covenantal commitment of its members.

Hebrews 10:24-25 begins with, “Let us consider one
another in order to stir up love and good works.” The first place to begin a discussion of
church attendance is, as we saw last week, the consideration of one another. The primary purpose of paying attention to
one another is to “stir up love and good works.” The phrase, “stir up” can be used negatively
for something that is bothered, but here it is used positively for motivation
and stimulation. There is some irony in
the wording. The idea is to “provoke”
someone. Just as a person may be
forcefully provoked to anger, believers are told to strongly provoke one
another to a life of love. A stagnant
pond breeds bacteria, but a flowing stream keeps the water fresh. Believers should constantly work toward the
stimulation of others so that the “water” of the Christian community will
remain “fresh” and “healthy.”

The “stirring” is to be a motivation to love and good
works, or “good works inspired by love” which was, apparently, the church’s
reputation (Heb 6:10). Christians have a
high calling to stimulate one another spiritually and morally, to lead a life
of mutual encouragement. The best way
this is accomplished is to share in one another’s lives; to assemble together
for worship and fellowship.

Love is expressed relationally. We must spend time, get to know, and form a
bond with each other in order to love one another and motivate love in our
church. We can never truly consider or
motivate one another to loving deeds if we keep each another at a distance.

And, be sure, this love is not emotional or soft, it is a
condition of the heart to do what is right in our relationships with
others. We should welcome every
opportunity to gather with the people of God in order to grow in our own love
and motivate others to do the same.

I
have noticed a tendency for attendance to fluctuate
back-and-forth from week to week in most churches. There will be a decent attendance one week and, when the next week comes, there will
be something like a 20 person drop-off.
This
back-and-forth issue has been going on for a long time in most churches.

I started researching this issue
in other sources. I have learned that this is not only an RHCC
problem, but it is an epidemic in American churches across all denominations and
traditions. For example, one friend from
a United Methodist, city church of decent size said that the average attendance
for their young adults is 1 of 4 Sundays per month. Another friend from a Southern Baptist, rural
church with an attendance of 1,400 per week said that folks come 2 of 4 Sundays
per month.

Now, I have already presented this attendance issue as a
“problem.” Over the next several weeks,
I plan to write articles addressing this issue and why I think it is a problem
that must be fixed. I am not concerned
about this out of impure motives, I do not think, and maybe I can prove that in
these articles. I do not want to be
legalistic or judgmental about attendance.
Attending church does not get someone to heaven, at least not directly
(more about that later); and I am not one to only focus on “the numbers.” Attendance, I will say from the start, is
vitally important to the life of the Christian and the Christian community, and
it must not be neglected or abandoned.

Can this problem be fixed? I do not know. It takes a lot to undue a culture that has
been cultivated for decades. Yet, my
task as the pastor-teacher of the church is to share with you what the Bible
says about the Christian life. I figured
that I had three options: continually stress over the issue; learn to ignore
it; or tackle it head-on. I am not one
to shy away from a challenge, so I have decided to tackle the issue head
on. I will do what I can to teach our
church what the Bible says about these things and to encourage everyone in
their Christian Faith.

The go-to passage for church attendance is Hebrews
10:24-25. There will most likely be many
other things that I will share outside of this passage, but let us park here
for a few weeks. The author begins his final
commands with the words, “Let us consider one another. . . .” The term “consider” is the controlling verb for
these two important verses. The word
means “to take notice;” or “pay attention to;” or “look closely at;” or
“concentrate by fixing one’s thinking on something.” What is it that we are to concentrate
on? Well, it is actually a Who.
We are to consider “one another.”
Christians are to set their minds on other Christians. We are to look out for the well-being of
fellow believers. The Christian life is
not an isolated life. It is not an
independent life. We should not, and
really cannot, go at it alone. We need
to pay attention to others, and, wait for it, we need others to pay attention
to us. This is where we start, “Christians,
let us consider one another.”

In Hebrews 6:1, the NKJV says, “Let us go on to
perfection.” Many other modern
translations probably convey the meaning more clearly by using the word,
“Maturity.” So, the NIV says, “Therefore
let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward
to maturity.”

Let us start with the subject of what this verse does not
mean before moving to its actual meaning.
When the writer commands believers to leave behind or move beyond the
elementary doctrines concerning Christ, he does not mean that we are to move on
to something different. We do not become
Christians one way and then remain Christians in an entirely different
way. No, we are converted by faith, and
we continue in our salvation by faith.
Justification (being made “right” with God) and sanctification
(progressively becoming holy) are both by faith. The Scripture says in multiple places that
the just shall live by faith. Salvation
is from faith to faith. Faith in the
beginning; faith in the end; and faith everywhere in between. One does not move beyond salvation by grace
through faith. One does not move beyond
Christ.

Heb 6:1 is an exhortation to Christians to grow in their
faith and in the Faith. To do so, we
must move beyond the elementary teachings of Christ in the sense that we must
build upon the foundational principles that we have learned in our walk with
the Lord. We should not become stagnant
by only teaching and discussing the same old things all the time. We should be able to build upon the simple
Gospel message that we heard in the first place. We do not move beyond the Gospel, but we can
progress much farther in our understanding of that wonderful message. We can grow in the grace and knowledge of our
Lord.

Why is Christian growth necessary? Well, for one, it is commanded by the Lord
all over Scripture. This is His will for
us. The Lord is pleased and glorified by
our continued progress in the faith.
Also, continued growth ensures the believer that he/she is not going to
apostatize, that is, turn away from so great a salvation. As move grow in our faith, we grow closer and
closer to the Lord and farther away from the world. We move more and more into grace and farther
away from Hell as we mature in our relationship with Christ.

Thus, my ministry in the church, from the pulpit, and online
(progressandjoy.org, Midweek eBulletins, Facebook, etc.) is, “For Progress and
Joy in Christ.”

I have a scenario that I would like for you to imagine,
and some of you may have been in this situation at one time or another. Imagine that you have an awful,
life-threatening disease. Imagine how
desperate you would be. Now imagine that
you have the cure: you have the medicine and the treatments. You know exactly what it takes to cure the
disease, and there are millions of people all over the country and globe that
have the same disease. What would you
do? Would it suffice to think that you
could just live a healthy life, be positive and encouraging, and people would
see you and discover the cure? Could you
just set a great example of what a cured person looks like?

What if you had a neighbor that lived directly beside
your house, a woman who had the same disease that you had? Would you just smile and wave when you saw
her? Could you love her to the
cure? Or, what if another neighbor had a
teenage son who was struggling with the same disease and was on his
deathbed? Would you visit him and show
him how healthy you are? Would you keep
your mouth shut and let your life do all the talking? Or, would you visit the woman beside you and
tell her exactly what combination of treatments and medicine she needs? Would you visit the teenaged boy and his
family to tell them how simple the cure is?
Would you lead the way with your life and example as well as with the
words and directions to the cure?

I hope that you would open your mouth and share.

READ Scripture-
This is the Word of God

Main
Point:

The apostolic team greets the
Thessalonians and state their practice of regularly giving thanks to God for
the church. The missionaries are
confident that the Thessalonians are born again. They have seen the fruit of it with their own
eyes, and their faith was being talked about all over the place.

Faith, Love, and
Hope (1-4)

Isn’t it nice to have some Christian friends whom you can
be thankful for? How often do we give
thanks to God for those people? How
often do we thank the Lord for our church family? Paul could not help but remember the
wonderful conversion of the Thessalonians and the relationship that he had
built with them in only a short time.
When he thought of them, he could not help but be thankful to God for
them.

Notice what it was that he remembered. There is a triad of things in the third verse
that the missionary team constantly remembered of them: (1) work of faith, (2)
labor of love, and (3) patience of hope. Here we can see one of Paul’s favorite triads:
faith, love, and hope which has been called by another author, “The trinity of
classic Christian virtues” (Green, 89).
Chapter three shows us that Timothy returned to Paul and the others with
the report of the Thessalonians faith and love and their steadfastness (see
3:6-8). These three fruits are “in our
Lord.” These are activities that they
are carrying out because of their conversion.
They are being changed from the inside-out. We can spend day-after-day and
year-after-year attempting to change someone’s behavior, but only the work of
God in someone’s soul can do that. They
may, for a time, be able to get things straight, but it would only be
artificial. Behavior can truly change
for the long-term if there is an inner conversion. That is what happened among the Thessalonians
Christians.

It seems to me that these three actions are in a certain
order. Faith comes first. We must believe that Christ is who He claims
to be. We must trust that what He has
done on the cross is enough to bring us into a right relationship with God and
to save us. The next phase in the
Christian’s conversion is growth in our love for God and one another. We may even say that love for our neighbors
develops so that we evangelize those around us.
Love is what Jesus said is the fulfilment of all the Law, and it is the
theme of the New Testament. As we
continue to develop in our Christian lives, we begin to see more clearly and
want more deeply to experience the return of Christ. Our hope is in Him for the future and for all
eternity. So, these three virtues are
not some abstract idea. These are
experienced deep in the soul and effect how we interact with the world around
us. We are not closed off from the
world. We live in the here and now
working by faith, laboring in love, and patiently hoping in God. Paul knew the Thessalonians were the “elect
of God” because he could see the work of God in their lives and in their
church. I hope the same is said of us.

The Gospel’s
Coming (5)

Another triad is given in verse five. The Gospel most certainly came to the Thessalonians
in words. The Gospel always comes in
words. We should strive to demonstrate
the Gospel in our behavior, but the Gospel must be shared in words. Think back to our original scenario of being
cured from a life-threatening illness.
If we found a cure for cancer, we would broadcast it all over the world,
wouldn’t we? We would write articles
about it. The news would show it
endlessly on TV. We would write books
about it. We would call our
friends. We would post it on the
internet and more. The Gospel must be in
shared with words. It must be shared
fervently. Pulpits may reach a few
people. I may be able to share the Good
News with 70 on a Sunday, but if each of us shared the Good News during the
week, how many could we reach?

Excitingly, Paul says that the Gospel came to them not
simply in words but was accompanied by: (1) power, (2) the Holy Spirit, and (3)
much assurance. Then, at the end of
verse five, we are told that the word also came by example. We should strive to live a life that
exemplifies the Gospel AND to open our mouths and share it. God uses that testimony and works miracles in
people’s lives. The power comes from
Him. By the Spirit, He changes folks
inside-out.

The Marks of True
Conversion (6-10)

How does the apostle know that the
Thessalonians are the “elect of God?” He
can see their faith, love, and hope. He
can see the fruit of their Christian commitment. There are marks of true conversion that are showing
in their lives and in their church. The
apostle recognizes growth in the believers.

The have become imitators of the
apostolic team and the Lord (6). They
received the Gospel in much affliction.
Like their apostle and their Lord, they suffered much, but continued
with the joy of the Spirit. Their church
was born into affliction, but they pressed on.

Not only did the Thessalonians
receive the Gospel, but, in turn, they became preachers of the Gospel. Like Paul, they experienced Christ’s
redeeming work and wanted others to have the same. Remember, Paul says in another place, “Follow
me as I follow Christ.” Disciples are disciple-makers. Disciple-making is a mark of true conversion.

The have become a model for the
gospel (7-10). In every place people were
talking about them (7-9a). Their
conversion is exemplary (9b-10). They
welcomed the apostolic team (9b). They
turned away from idols (9c). They turned
to the true God and now await eschatological salvation (10).

Description of Jesus: God’s Son

from heaven

raised from the dead

delivers us from the wrath to come

Conclusion and Christian
Application

(1) What fruits have you seen in your life and the lives of those
around you that confirm a new birth?

(2) What kind of example are you setting for those around you? Should we plan to influence others?

The argument of Christ’s teachings on forgiveness
versus the apostle Paul’s teaching on the same subject once came up in a
conversation I had with someone.
Apparently, it is a common understanding among some Christians that
Christ’s words are greater than Paul’s or any other biblical author. I have a few objections to this line of
thinking.

First, all Scripture is God-breathed (2 Tim
3:16-17). From the Old Testament to the
New, all of the books of the Bible are uniquely inspired by God. Now, some books or portions of books may be
more edifying to Christians than others, but all Scripture is inspired and
authoritative over our lives.

Second, we affirm that all 66 books of the Bible
are Scripture, and we even have internal evidence to this fact. The apostle Peter refers to Paul’s writings “Scripture”
(2 Pet 3:15-16). So then, the great
apostle Peter confirms that what Paul writes is from God.

Third, Christians have held for centuries that the
Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ (Rom 8:9; 2 Cor 3:17; Gal 4:6; 1 Pet
1:11). This is the great mystery of the
Trinity. This is Christian
doctrine. The presence of the Spirit is
the presence of Christ (even Christ taught that He would come again to the
disciples by means of the Spirit [John 14:15-18]). The work of the Spirit is the work of
Christ. Jesus also promised that the
Spirit would come to teach (John 16:13-15).
We know that the Holy Spirit is the One who moved the prophets of old to
write Scripture (2 Pet 1:21), and, based on the passages just seen in John, we
believe that the Spirit of Christ inspired the New Testament authors to write
Scripture as well.

Therefore, the whole Bible is authoritative because
the whole Bible is the Word of God. The
whole Bible has been inspired by Christ.
Thus, Christ and Paul do not contradict one another. They cannot contradict one another. There is no scenario where one should say,
“I’m taking Jesus’ word on this over Paul’s.”
The two always agree. Paul, as an
apostle, fully represents Christ. Paul,
inspired by the Holy Spirit, writes Christ’s words. The whole Bible fits together into a
beautiful revelation of God’s will for this world and our lives.

The articles written by Dr. Earl Crow in the Saturday
editions of the Winston-Salem Journal are a train wreck. He does not represent
evangelical Christianity and demonstrates that he has no clue what he is doing
when discussing scriptural passages.
Some may think that this is a strong or even harsh statement, but allow
me to elaborate. I will provide some
general comments about his articles as well as some specific points.

Dr. Crow often implies or pushes the answer in a certain
direction without ever stating his actual position. For example, our adult class during The Blend
recently read his article about Hell, and without ever explicitly stating the
point, he implied that Hell is not real and that all will be welcomed into
Heaven. Crow often quotes Scriptures
that have nothing to do with the subject at hand. For example, when asked if we will know each
other in heaven, he quoted Matt 8:11 which says, “And I say to you that many
will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in
the kingdom of heaven.” Now, tell me,
what does that verse have to do with the question? The last point that I will make is that Crow
often questions evangelical, traditional teaching without actually explaining how
it is wrong or offering a truly biblical alternative to the traditional
position.

What is our lesson?
Do not believe everything you read (or hear or watch) without studying
the subject for yourself, fact-checking, and getting (at least) a second opinion. Just because something such as a television
show, movie, or newspaper article is “religious” does not mean that it is
accurate. There are many wolves
masquerading as sheep (Matt 7:15). The
New Testament is full of warnings to beware of false teachers (e.g. Rom
16:17-18; Col 2:8; 2 Tim 4:3-4; 2 Pet 2:1-22; 1 John 4:1; 2 John 1:10-11). We do well to heed those warnings in our own
day.

Now, let me express some humility. I do not have it all figured out. I cannot answer every question. However, there is nothing worse or more
devastating to a Christian’s walk than for someone who is “religious” and
“educated” to appear to be an “angel of light” and yet only deceive
believers. Crow is a PhD who uses common
misconceptions to gain sympathy for his positions. The way he goes about his writing and
teaching is sad and, honestly, disgusting.
So, again, do not believe everything you read.

If you have any questions or comments about Dr. Crow’s
articles, please email me at wesley@progressandjoy.org, call me, stop by the
office, or bring it to my attention on a Sunday.

I truly want people to be happy and to find satisfaction
in life, but I must be honest: many are looking in all of the wrong places. I know too many people who go from one hobby
to the next, one job to the next, one partner to the next. God has blessed us with all sorts of things in
which we can find pleasure. There is
nothing wrong with involving ourselves in fun and entertaining activities, but
we know that they are not lasting. I want
you to find your ultimate satisfaction in Christ Jesus. I want you to fully understand that Christ’s
work of reconciliation is not only for the age to come but to be enjoyed now. Eternal life begins now and will be enhanced
in the age to come. I want you to live abundantly and free under the influence
of the Holy Spirit and in the power of the resurrection of Christ. There is reason to be excited today.

I want you to be attracted to the Lord Jesus Christ, to
love Him, treasure Him, spend time with Him, and trust Him. Romans 8 is about life, life now and life
eternal. This chapter is special in the
revelation of God. It declares what it
means to be a Christian from “no condemnation” at the beginning of the chapter
to “no separation” at the end. In
talking about the Christian’s life and confidence, the Holy Spirit is mentioned
19 times! The apostolic doctrine of the
New Testament concerning life now and forever involves the Holy Spirit as its
focal point. Ephesians 1:13-14 says, “In
[Christ] you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy
Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption
of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”

This section in the epistle begins at Rom 6:14 which
says, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but
under grace.” Today’s sermon text is
part of one flow of thought that runs through verse 13 and concerns the subject
of “life.” We will talk about the
Christian life in the here and now. We
are looking forward to heaven, but how do we live now? Are we to only trudge through this life, or
do we have reason to be excited?

READ Scripture-
This is the Word of God

Justification and
Sanctification

In the first two verses of this chapter both
justification and sanctification are declared. God has reversed the guilty
verdict that we all were given. “For all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God.” Yet now, God declares us justified (not guilty) because we are
“in Christ Jesus.” Of course, there are existing consequences for our sins now,
but what the Scripture is teaching us that there are no eternal ramifications
for our sins if we are in Christ. “Condemnation” refers to the state of
lostness, separation from God. We are free from condemnation not because we are
sinless, but because we have put our faith in Christ Jesus who was but laid His
life down for us. You see, Christ took our place of condemnation and He bore
the full burden of it that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

The Holy Spirit has taken those accomplishments of Christ
in our behalf and made us free. 2 Cor 3:17 says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit;
and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

We follow the law of the Spirit which is liberty, and in
this liberty we are called to serve one another. Gal 5:13 says, “For you,
brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an
opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” We no longer
operate under the law of sin and death, but under the law of the Spirit of life
in Christ.

The Law’s Weakness

The Scripture says that the law was weak through the
flesh. The law itself was not weak. It is not sinful, wrong, or weak in and of
itself, but its weakness is the flesh (the influence of sin). It can name your
sin, it can diagnose your problem, it can declare you guilty, but it cannot
save you.

The law could/can name one’s sin and could pronounce
judgment on it, but nothing else. If the law could not fix sin nor put it to
death then all it was doing was adding up one’s transgressions and sins and
trespasses and failures. Though the chief weakness of the law was and is the
FLESH. The Law cannot be criticized for its weakness- only the participants.

God Did

It is the work of Christ, and Christ alone, that has set
us free. We can live in this resurrection power because of what He has already
done. Christ Jesus shared in the essential human nature- flesh and blood, bones
and marrow. Jesus was in fact God as a physical human being, but only in the
“likeness of sinful flesh.” “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us.”
“(Our High Priest) was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” It
was God who did something. “While we were still sinners Christ died for us.” It
took a mighty act of God to save us. It took a mighty act of God to reverse the
guilty verdict. “What the law could not do: GOD DID.” The Spirit can liberate
us because of the situation that Christ has caused.

What was it that God intervened to do? Condemn sin. The
just requirement of the law was fulfilled in God’s condemnation of sin. The
“just requirement of the law” is surely perfect obedience and submission to God
the Father. Christ has fulfilled the just requirement of the law and it is
applied to us when we believe in Him, put our faith in Him, and when we
treasure Him.

Conclusion and
Christian Application

Verse 5 may serve as an appropriate conclusion. Let us
set our minds on the things of the Spirit.

We do not strive to be justified or sanctified by the
works of the flesh, but by the fruit of the Spirit. A vine does not produce
grapes by any demand that is made. It produces fruit that comes out of its own
life. When we participate in the divine nature and we are in Christ then fruit
will be produced out of Christ’s own life not by any demand. Until we are in
Christ Jesus and setting our minds on the things of the Spirit, we…are…dying.
If all we do is read secular novels, watch tv, and talk to unbelievers, we “are
never going to form the mind-set of the Spirit” (Moo, 257). We need to spend
time with God. We need to talk to Him in prayer, enjoy His company as we encounter
Him in His word, we need to ponder the things of Christ, be with His people,
communicate with them about these things, sings songs and hymns, and many other
things.

The question we are left with is this: Are you in Christ
Jesus? If you are, then you have
something to be excited about.

In John four, we meet Jesus as He is heading out of
Judea and north to Galilee. In between these
two regions is the region of Samaria. Most
Jews would avoid Samaria by going around it along the Jordan River, since over
700 years of religious and racial prejudice separated the Jews and Samaritans. Jews looked down on Samaritans who were half
Jew and half Gentile, and considered them impure people. Although it took more time, traveling along
the river would be the easiest route. Jesus
had a special purpose for this trip. He
was on a mission. He overlooked racism
and disregarded the Jewish traditions of the time. What he does and says is highly valuable.

In
the fourth chapter of the Gospel of John, in response to one of the most heated
questions of the day, Jesus makes a statement about worship and worshippers. He told a Samaritan woman at a well that the
time had come when true believers would worship God in spirit and truth. This woman quickly grew to understand that
Jesus was a prophet and maybe even the Messiah, but it is not clear whether she
understood what Jesus meant by “spirit and truth.” Yet, that is our goal today. What was Jesus teaching about true worship,
and how does it apply to us?

READ SCRIPTURE

Point 1: Spirit and Truth- Linked

These
2 terms go hand in hand because they are both governed by the same preposition-
“in.” In effect, Jesus says that worship
is to be, “In spirit and in truth.” They are linked together. We must interpret both terms in light of each
other. D. A. Carson says that
they “form one matrix” and therefore are “indivisible” (226).

Connective: First, we see that both of
these words must go together. This will guide us as we investigate this text.

Point 2: Location and Means- Dismissed

In
the context, it seems that Jesus compares and contrasts location and means of
worship. These are the two subjects
discussed.

*What locations are named? (1) Mount
Gerizim; (2) Jerusalem Temple

*What means of worship is
understood at both? Ritual Ceremonies

Jesus
dismisses Mount Gerizim and even the Jerusalem Temple as the correct location
for worship. He also rejects the means
of worship for both, which was ritual ceremonies. Since both the location and means of worship
have been dismissed, all we are left with is what? Worship in spirit and truth.

The
spirit (human) replaces both the Jerusalem and Gerizim locations for the
appropriate place for worship, while truth replaces ritual ceremonies. Let me mention that the apostle John often
uses words that can have multiple meanings.
Here is an example, the word “truth” can also be translated as “faithfulness”
or “reality.” Jesus is saying that we
must worship God with sincerity of heart, in truth, in faithfulness. This is our true act of worship. Outward rituals are not our means of genuine
worship. Love for the truth and
faithfulness to the truth is our true means of worshipping God the Father
through Christ the Son.

Connective: It is now clear that worship
has changed to spirit and truth because the old locations and means have been
replaced, but we now face the real question, What does it mean to worship in
spirit and truth?

Point 3: Spirit and Truth- Meaning

At this point I
like what Mark Moore says about true worship, “The Spirit of God and the spirit
of man commingle.” Worship is when our human spirits commingle
with the Holy Spirit, with sincerity and complete reality before God.

Ritual
was the old requirement of worship. Jesus
changes this to worship in truth, which is anything that is in harmony with
God’s Word and will.

God is not limited to a place or time. We can commune
with God anywhere at any time. We can
serve God in many capacities and in any place.

You know when you’re riding with someone and they have
to slam on their brakes? What do we do a
lot of times? We grab the dash, like
it’s a steering wheel. We tense up and
try to push the brake with our foot, even though we are not behind the wheel. It is an automatic reflex that we have developed. Now, who can blame someone for doing
that? Yet, the same thing often happens
in our worship times, but that cannot be excused. That cannot be laughed off. We cannot allow ourselves to merely go
through the motions of a traditional routine.

Jesus said, “God is Spirit.” God is much more than this physical
world. Worship is much more than a
specific location or any ritualistic event. Is it wrong to designate a place to meet for
worship or to do many of the same things each week? No, of course not. We have the commands of the Lord and His
apostles and the example of the early church to follow. We are commanded to assemble together on a
regular basis. We are commanded to do
some of the same things when we meet such as partaking of the Lord’s
Supper. We are to belong to a local
church among whom we worship and serve. Yet,
we must understand that the location and means by which we worship do not control
us. We worship the Father in spirit and
truth. We can worship under a steeple,
in a pew, at someone’s house, in someone’s basement, at a baseball stadium, at
work, or out under a tree, etc.

Have you been in a spiritual rut? Have you not “felt” the Spirit in worship?

Do you feel far away from God at times?

Let us forsake
all forms of worship that are based merely on man-made traditions, human
insights, and only outward activities.
This, of course, means that we must not bend to cultural pressure, whether
it be secular culture or Christian culture, as to how we should worship our
Lord. We must be faithful to the truth,
and we must worship Him in spirit.

Let us not
engage in the “worship wars” to argue about music styles or what clothes we
wear on Sundays.

Let us do this one thing: Worship God in spirit and in truth. In your spirit, get to know the Lord
better. In your spirit, commune with the
living God. Let your spirit be the
starting place of your obedience to the truth.
Believe in your spirit. Trust in
your spirit. Pray in your spirit. Love Christ in your spirit. Let us be faithful to our Lord in everything
we do because He has and will be faithful to us.

George Whitfield, a contemporary of John Wesley in 18th
Century England, is known as one of the greatest preachers to ever live. The Lord used him in mighty ways. He gained wide renown in England, but he
turned away from it in 1738 to come and preach in the small, American colony of
Georgia. When he came here he expected
persecution, but was instead received as a messenger of God. His fame spread here about as quickly as it
had across the ocean, and he made several trips back and forth between the
continents during his ministry.
Whitfield was good friends with Benjamin Franklin who once did an
experiment about Whitfield’s voice.
Franklin calculated that Whitfield’s voice could be heard by 30,000
people at one time out in the open air (without any kind of sound system). And, the content of his preaching was even
more powerful than his voice. Like many
preachers during the Great Awakening, Whitfield stressed Christian
conversion. In this way, he was one of
the founders of modern evangelicalism. A
lady once asked the preacher why he preached so often the words: “You must be
born again.” Whitefield replied,
“Because, Madam, you must be born again.”
It is to that subject that I would like for us to turn our attention
today as we look at John 3.

READ Scripture-
This is the Word of God

Connective

Nicodemus most likely witnessed the events of chapter two
(the overwhelming of the traditional institutions of Judaism: ritual vessels
(2:6) and the temple (2:15) were both instruments of ritual cleansing now trumped
by the Lord Jesus; Jesus Christ did not come simply to replace religious
establishments, but to bring life that those institutions could never
give). Nicodemus even represents another
institution of Judaism, the Pharisees who were teachers of the Old Testament law/Scriptures.

The end of the previous chapter (John 2:25) sets up the
Nicodemus account fittingly, “For He knew what was in man” and then the next
verses, beginning the section on Nicodemus, says, “there was a man of the
Pharisees.” Jesus knows what is inside
of man and then a man shows up to inquire of Him!

[A] Nicodemus

Nicodemus inquires of the teacher which allows Jesus to
further explain. The point here and in many of the discourses through this
Gospel account is that there is generally a deficit that needs to be met in
order to have a deeper understanding of Jesus words (most often faith or the
Spirit).

1. Member of the Pharisees (v1)

2. Member of the Sanhedrin (v1) – Jewish ruling council

3. Reputable Rabbi (v10) – ‘The’ teacher of Israel

[B] Born Again

1. Nicodemus wants to start on simple terms and discuss
Jesus’ signs. Jesus thwarts that idea and gets directly to the point- ‘You want
to be in the Kingdom? You must be born again.’

2. You cannot even see the Kingdom of God unless you are
born again. And “seeing” many times means “understanding.” You can’t even begin
to understand unless you are born again. It certainly means “experience” here.

3. Nicodemus then asks a question with an ironic
misunderstanding.

a. The
word used can mean “again” or it can mean “from above.” Nicodemus takes it to mean “again.”

b. Because Nicodemus inquires farther with
misunderstanding Jesus can now explain that being born again (from above) is to
be born of water and the Spirit.

[C] Water and Spirit

Several Interpretations
have been offered:

1. Water
Baptism

- Acts 10:43-47 “Then Peter
answered, ‘Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have
received the Holy Spirit just as we have?’”

2. Water
Symbolizing the Holy Spirit

- Thus
“born of water, even the Spirit.”

3. Water
Symbolizing the Word of God.

- Ephesians 5:26 “that He might
sanctify and cleanse her (the church) with the washing of water by the word.”

4. Water
as physical birth and the Spirit causing spiritual birth.

- Though not
a common understanding of physical birth.

5. Water meaning John the
Baptizer’s baptism and the work of the Spirit afterward.

6. OT
imagery of “water” and “wind” to refer to God’s work from above.

- Isaiah 44:3 “For I will pour water on him who is thirsty,
and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants.”

- Ezekiel 36:25-27 “Then I will sprinkle clean water on
you, and you shall be clean…I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit
within you.”

* I would now lean toward the Old Testament imagery as
the true meaning of what Jesus said. It makes perfect sense and is rooted in
Scripture. It is that the water and Spirit refer to one event (from above). The
one thing that I would combine with it is baptism because what better time is
there for God to cleanse you and put His Spirit in you? In fact, scripturally,
the only guarantee of the Spirit is in baptism.

[D] “So is Everyone Who is Born of the Spirit”

1. The Spirit comes to all who believe, but the work of
the Spirit is mysterious as it comes and goes and does as it wishes.

2. No one and no thing can contain the Spirit and the
work of the Spirit.

3. The only way to have a true understanding, the only
way to know God, and the only way to see much less enter the Kingdom of God is
for the Spirit to do something in your life and He does in the life of every
believer. And the Spirit can only work because of what Christ has accomplished.

[E] Loving the World

- It is agreed by most who have studied this passage that
vv. 16-21 are John’s words as commentary of what Jesus said.

1. It
speaks of the work of Christ in the past tense.

a. “loved”
b. “gave” c. “send”

2. The
phrasing is certainly John’s.

a. “only begotten”
b. “believed in the name” c. “he who does the truth”

- God loving the world may be surprising.

1. Jews
rarely, if ever, spoke of God loving more than Israel.

2. In
other places, John tells his readers to not love the world.

(1 John
2:15-17)

3. D.A. Carson has said, “There is no contradiction
between this prohibition and the fact that God does love (the world).
Christians are not to love the world with the selfish love of participation;
God loves the world with the selfless, costly love of redemption.”

Conclusion and
Christian Application

(1) Many are
religious but lost. Have you been born
again?

(2)
Not only is this something we believe for ourselves, but this is the standard
that God holds for all people.
Therefore, this is the message that we declare to our neighbors, our
community, and to the whole world, that you must be born again. There is a great falling away in our time,
but we will stand on the side of orthodoxy; we will stand on the side of Scripture;
we will hold firm our commitment to Christ as the only hope of the world.

I would like to work our way through Psalm 121 and see
the psalm in its original context and meaning.
After that, I would like for us to think about these themes and
principles for our own day, in our own situations.

READ Scripture-
This is the Word of God

Song of Ascents
Background (Heading)

There are several psalms labeled “Songs of Ascents” which
have been grouped together in Psalms 120-134.
These psalms were most likely sung by pilgrims making their way up to
Jerusalem for holidays and other pilgrimages.
As they traveled through long, dusty, rocky, winding roads, they would
sing these words of worship and confidence in the Lord.

Question (1)

One man says to another, or even to his own soul, that he
looks unto the hills with the question, From where does my help come? In those ancient times, a pilgrim could lift
up his head, set his eyes on the mountains, and see some illegitimate
resources—temples/altars to false gods. He
could look up and see the things of the world and consider who he should
trust. In chapter 18, Ezekiel references
these false gods that set on the hilltops surrounding the area. God was looking for godly men and women who
had not eaten on the mountains or turned their eyes toward the idols.

Not only did the mountains represent idols and the
temptation to turn to away from God and trust in them, the hills also
represented danger. Imagine traveling in
those ancient times on narrow roads surrounded by hills, going long stretches
of time without seeing any other travelers.
You would not know what was lurking up there. There could be wild animals or robbers who
set out to injure and raid pilgrims. You
would be looking for supernatural help.

Answer (2)

Thus, in verse two, the man is answered by a fellow
traveler, or he voices an answer to his own question as he preaches to his
soul. What is the answer? “My help comes from the Lord who is the Maker
of heaven and earth.” The Lord is the
true and living God as opposed to the dead, false gods made of created
elements. God created the things from
which the idols were made. There is no
help from false gods. Also, the hills
were created by God and tings even more majestic. He is the Creator of all things—great and small,
the things we can see and the things we cannot see. If your help comes from Him, then you have
nothing to fear. He is all-knowing,
all-powerful, all-resourceful, merciful, forgiving, and loving. There is none as impressive as our God. There is none who can do what He can do. There is none who has promised all the good
that He has promised to us.

Our Keeper (3-5)

I was intrigued to learn in my study that Baal was a
“seasonal god” who would have to be roused from sleep after a period of hibernation. How silly are these notions. A guard’s chief duty is to stay awake! Our God neither sleeps nor slumbers. He does not have a body that grows weary that
He would need rest. He does not have
eyes that may get heavy and need to shut.
He is Almighty God. He will not
allow your foot to be moved, and He can ensure it because there is never even
the slightest moment when He is not keeping watch over us. Verse five says the Lord is our Keeper
(Protector or Guard). He is on our side.

The idea at the end of verse five transitions us to the
last section—God is the shade at our right hand. There is nothing that we cannot fend off.

Our Preserver (6-8)

As we can imagine, the sun is a constant danger in the
Middle East. It can dehydrate, burn, and
more. It causes folks to pass out or
even to die. It takes a toll on the
bodies of those who are out in its light for too long. Think of a traveler out on the roads in the
sun’s rays for hours at a time. The moon
was thought in those days, and even in ours, to cause people to act crazy. Of course, these may be taken metaphorically
as dangers from which the Lord shades His people. As our shade, the Lord protects us from the sun
and moon—from all potential dangers. He
protects us at all times, day and night.

If God can protect us from the most powerful forces on
earth, then He can surely protect us from anything. Many things are unknown to us, but God knows
them all. He will preserve us from all
evil. He will preserve our souls. He will complete the good work that He has
started in us.

Conclusion and
Christian Application

Now, I have talked with several of you just this week who
are going through a variety of different circumstances. Some of you are struggling because of your
own weaknesses or because of the weaknesses of others. You can turn your eyes up and look to the
world today to find some kind of answer, or you can look beyond the hills and
even the heavens to the Creator of heaven and earth.

(1) Nowhere
does this psalm promise that we will live easy lives. In fact, God allows us to go through physical
challenges sometimes in order to preserve our souls. He wishes to strengthen our faith. He wishes to keep us in a relationship with
Him rather than the things of the world.
Those things are passing, but the Lord’s promises endure forever.

(2) If you put
your trust in the Lord and set your eyes upon Him, then you are guarded from
the time you leave your house in the morning until you come home at night, from
the time you lay your head on your pillow to sleep until you wake up. The Lord God is your guard.

Let me illustrate this point for you. Roughly 700 years before Christ, Assyria was
the great world empire. They came down
from the north and destroyed the northern nation (and tribes) of Israel in 722
BC. The prophets of God foretold this
event and said that it was the Lord’s judgment on the people because of their
rebellion against Him. In 701 BC, the
Assyrians, led by King Sennacherib, went down into the southern nation of Judah
and conquered it. The only city that
stood was Jerusalem, and they surrounded it.
There was no chance that Jerusalem and Hezekiah king of Judah could
defend or save themselves. Yet, let me
read to you from 2 Kgs 19:9-19, 35-37.
You can turn there too, if you would like.

Time and again, God has fought for His people. He is sovereign over all things and orchestrates
all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according
to His purpose. Even when things look
very bleak, God shows up for His people, sometimes in miraculous fashion. Of course, this narrative is only one way
that God has been “for” His people in history, but there are several different
examples and many ways to consider the fact that God is for us and no one can
stand against us in any absolute sense.

Now, let us go back to our main verse today, Romans 8:31.

First Question: What
then shall we say to these things?

This question introduces a conclusion. So, we must decide what section is being
concluded. What does the phrase “these
things” refer to? Three options are
before us: (1) it concludes 8:18-30 about hope in the midst of suffering and
God’s promise that all things will turn out for good for those who love Him; or
(2) it concludes chapters 6-8 about being dead to sin and alive to God; or (3) concludes
the entire epistle thus far. I tend to
lean toward this final interpretive option which takes “these things” to refer
to the entire epistle. The NEB
translates this question, “With all of this in mind, what are we to say?” You have heard me say this at the end of
sermons before.

*Here is what the apostle is concluding: Chapters 1-8
*Give summary.

Now that we know the whole sweep of God’s work of
redemption and love, how do we respond?
Is there even a response that can be given?

Second Question: If
God is for us, who can be against us?

There are many who are “against us” in our day. The culture (especially the sexual
revolutionaries); the media; university professors; etc. Do not let us neglect other things that war
against us such as hardships, persecutions, sin, death, and Satan.

The “if” that begins the second question should be taken
in the sense of “since it is so.” It is
stated rhetorically. Let’s not miss the
Jewish character of this question: (1) There may be many against us but none
compare to the one God (see Isa 40:25-31 and Rom 8:38-39); (2) Many Old Testament
saints put there confidence in the Lord even in the midst of their suffering
(see Ps 23:4; 56:9; 118:6-7); and (3) There is also the idea of Final Judgment
when all God’s people will be vindicated, especially the martyrs.

Conclusion: God is
For Us

Not everyone can make the claim that God is for them. God said many times in the Old Testament, “I
am against you says the LORD.” With God
on our side there is no fear of defeat.

Some have attempted to make God out to be a “glory-hog”
as if He is only for Himself, but we see here a great summary of the message of
the whole Bible that God is also “for us.”
This is the Gospel in one simple verse.
God is no longer against you.
There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. You were once an enemy of God, but He has
reconciled you to Himself by the precious blood of Christ. He is not against you. He is not angry with you. He is “for you.” Therefore, there is no person or thing that
we should fear. Since God is for us, no
one can ultimately stand against us.